Tag Archives: business operations

Northside HS on track for August 2019 opening

With a slated opening for the 2019-2020 school year, construction on Northside High School is now 90 percent complete.

The school’s science and art rooms and bus canopy are complete. Interior finishes in the performance arts wing, first floor classroom renovations, landscaping, and parking are nearly complete. In addition, stairwell upgrades in the historic building are underway.

The $66 million project is part of the voter-approved 2012 Bond program and calls for two new additions along with renovations to the original building, built in 1928.

Continue reading

HISD Business Operations launches new brand focused on students

[su_document url=”https://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/Business-Operations-Annual-Report.pdf” height=”840″]

With more than 7,000 employees, Business Operations is the largest division in HISD. But what exactly do we do?

Before students can ever file into their classrooms, bus drivers and crossing guards must get them safely to school. Cafeteria workers must make them a nutritious breakfast. Custodians, police officers, and construction crews must make sure they have new, clean, safe spaces in which to learn.

The breadth of our work touches all facets of the district, and support is at the heart of everything we do. We help lay the foundation for student success — most of the time behind the scenes.

Continue reading

HISD Police Department’s K-9 unit continues to expand

Most people don’t know that some of the most active members of the HISD Police Department are younger than 6 years old, furry, and do their part to keep the district safe.

The K-9 unit is a vital part of HISD’s Police Department, with all police dogs trained to support and protect officers. The K-9s also conduct area searches for drugs, weapons, or other contraband that may be on school grounds or in district facilities.

“The K-9 unit has been around since the ‘90s,” HISD Police Sergeant Tridung Tran said. “We started with two and now we’ve expanded to five K-9s. They allow us to provide a better service to the district.”

Continue reading

Arabic Immersion Magnet School relocating to former Kinder HSPVA campus

The Houston Independent School District’s Arabic Immersion Magnet School will relocate this summer to the former campus of Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts — a move designed to accommodate the school’s growing student population and transformation to a PK-8 campus.  

The new location, located at 4001 Stanford St., is just seven miles south of the original AIMS campus on West 28th Street in the Heights. The campus will provide a more central, neighborhood location while still maintaining proximity to the original campus. Additionally, the new building has space for the school to expand, including areas for fine arts, physical education, and a growing pre-kindergarten program. 

Continue reading

Facilities Services and Fleet Operations employee’s desire to help leads to 47 years of service

Sherry Jones

As one of the longest-serving employees in Facilities Services and Fleet Operations, Sherry Jones’ career is fueled by a desire to be of service and to help wherever she can.

Jones – an administrative assistant – has been with HISD for 47 years. In that time, she’s worked with 15 managers and under the leadership of 11 superintendents, working hard to ensure her department is always properly supported.

According to Jones, her strong work ethic and desire to be of service was instilled by wise words from her mother that she carried with her throughout her career.

Continue reading

7th Annual School Lunch Hero Day to be celebrated on May 3

Students and school faculty will soon have the opportunity to show their appreciation to cafeteria staff during School Lunch Hero Day.

On May 3, Nutrition Services will celebrate School Lunch Hero Day, a nationwide celebration that honors school nutrition professionals for the valuable work they do each day. The observance will allow students and school staff to celebrate their campus’ cafeteria team.

Continue reading

Kinder HSPVA wins 2019 Landmark Award

The new Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts building was named the winner of the Houston Business Journal 2019 Landmark Award this past week.

The annual award program recognizes impressive real estate projects that make a significant impression on the Houston landscape and help sculpt the look, feel, and image of the city.

“We love the new space,” Kinder HSPVA Principal Scott Allen said. “The building design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also incredibly functional, supporting our academic and arts programs.”

Continue reading

Energy Institute HS receives architectural award, magazine cover feature

The new Energy Institute High School has been awarded the Citation of Excellence Award by Learning by Design, a magazine that recognizes the nation’s best new education school design and construction.

Energy Institute earned its award with innovative learning spaces designed to encourage project-based collaboration and communication and showcase students’ high-tech projects and presentations.

Continue reading

Garden Oaks Montessori celebrates new additions and renovations

The Garden Oaks Montessori School gymnasium came alive Thursday when energetic students filled the new space to celebrate the school’s building dedication.

The room was decorated with balloon arches in the school’s signature green and yellow colors and students’ colorful artwork. The event celebrated the impact the new facility has had on student learning and included a spirited performance of “Congo to the Mississippi” by the school’s lower elementary students.

Continue reading

Kinder HSPVA students participate in distance learning master piano class

Kinder HSPVA students participated in a groundbreaking remote piano master class last week with a famous musician —even though the artist was instructing the students from 1,500 miles away.

The students attended the class with world-renowned pianist, composer, and arranger Giorgi Mikadze, who taught the class through a live broadcast from New York City.

This technological feat was made possible with a pair of internet-connected Yamaha Disklavier “reproducing” pianos, part of the state-of-art technology included in the school’s new 2012 Bond school, which was one of the first in the nation to introduce this distance learning opportunity.

Continue reading